A Collaborative Form

A crucial part of our performance is its marriage of different art forms. This is not a play with music. Nor is it a dance with dialogue. It is its own form. Movement, dialogue, sounds and images all combine to create the work and none are more important that others. Its collaboration of arts allows us to present our audience with an immersive environment, drawing them into the emotion and atmosphere of the performance.

Much of the work was staggered in its creation. For example, movement for the opening scene may have been devised weeks in advance of any dialogue having even been scripted. Similarly, music may have been created in isolation, prior to any physical accompaniment. This allowed for adaptation and collaboration to prevail. As a company, we would bring together new ideas and combine them to achieve our overall collective intention. We were aware of our overarching style, genre and practice, therefore, were not at risk of clashes or discrepancy. Instead, we often found ourselves eager to combine sound, movement or speech to experience the impact theatrically; we would then apply necessary alterations to ensure the result was unified and cohesive.

Often as an academic finishes his book by writing an introduction, I completed my soundtrack for Inka by writing the pre-set music. I now had a vision of the overall performance. I understood my own impression of the piece and, in discussion with Marcus, had agreed that this should be the initial impression of our play. As the audience would enter the auditorium they would be greeted by the mellow resonance of synthesised strings. A simplistic pattern using just 5 notes would continue in a cycle to build anticipation. The music was designed to offer mixed perspectives. As the mellow strings build, a gentle electric piano introduces the Inka motif, which would become familiar throughout. As Felicity (Inka) sits facing Lydia inanimately, the steady flow of actors entering the stage would add to the eagerness to discover what Inka is. This pre-set music would return for Isaacs monologue and would conclude the performance as the audience exited the auditorium. It was my intention that by entering and leaving to the same music it was clear nothing had changed. The audience therefore would be conscious that it was up to them to act upon the events that had seen.